Clothes-retainer.



G. H. WHEAHY.

CLOTHES RETAINER. APPLICA'TION FILED 1uLY14. 1915.

1,243,785, Patented oct. 23,1917.

l ATTO/:WDG

Ynaares. Y

GEORGE IIENRY WHEARY, oF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

CLOTHES-RETAINER.

To all whom t may concern.' Y 1 Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY WHEARY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Retainers, of which the following isa description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Which are a part of this specication.

My invention has relation to improvements in clothes retainers, particularly adapted, although not solely, for use iny wardrobe and other trunks. v

f Trunks,especially of the wardrobe type, are usually provided with fiat clothes ,retainers or followers, of rectangular form, which are adapted to hold garments suspended from hangers connected to y,the upper portion yofthe wardrobe section of the trunk, tightly in position to yprevent the disarrangement of' the garments during transportation of the trunk.

The primary object of my invention `is to provide an improved form of` garment re,- tainer,A which is not -onlysimple in construction and also capable ofV being quickly adjusted inl positionor removed, but which also Vis capable of being operatedto change the adjustment thereof in a most convenient and simple manner. Y

With the above primary, and other incidental, objects in view, the invention con.- sists of the devicesand parts, or the'equivalents thereof, as hereinafter more fully `se forth. v

/In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a front view of a fragment showing in dotted lines the othersection ofthe trunk as swung to an open position;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows; f

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of thearrows, and showing clearly one of the supporting rails for the retainer bar; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionL on the line 4.-4 of Fig; 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates the wardrobe section of a trunk, and 6 the other sectionthereof. The wardrobe Section is of ordinary construction, and

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 0G13,` 23, 191'?,

-Application led J' uly 14, 1915.v Serial No. 39,786.

is adapted `to be provided in the upperrpor-v from the walls or sides of the trunk, as clearly shown in the drawing. i

Each rail from its top edge downwardly is provided with a plurality of slots. upper portion of each slot is .straight and The" narrow, asindicated by the numeral 9, and

the .lower portion `of each slot .is enlarged,

and preferably` of circular form, as indi.- cated by the numeral 10. f VThe retainer bar 11 is of flat rectangular shape, and is of suiiicient length to extend from one side of theA trunk tothe other. i

Secured to the retainer bar, neary opposite ends thereof, are straps12-12, which straps medially arel curved outwardly to form cir-V cular bear-ings 15-13y for a round rod 14:, said rod being provided intermediate of itsends with the bent-out portion .forming Va handle 15, which handle normally extends downwardly, as shown in the drawing.. It is desirable, when the handleisgrasped and lifted, that some means be provided for limiting such uplift, or in other words, limiting thev turning of the rod 14k in an upward direction. To this end, I form the bearings 13-13 with elongated slots 1616, and through these slots project stop'V pins 17-17 extending lfrom the rod 14. It is obvious that when the handle 15 is grasped and turned upwardly, the extent of this upl ward turning will be limited by contact of the pins 17V with the upper endsV of the slots 16. The ends of the rod 14 act in conjunction with the rails 7 7 in `supportingthe retainer bar in adjusted position. The said ends of the' rod li'onone side are provided with flat faces 18-18, said flat faces being uppermost when lthe rod is in proper en` gagement with the rails 7, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

' In the use of the invention, the garments are suspended the wardrobe section in sol the usual way. The retainer bar. is then adjusted against the clothing, and in order that the bar may be brought into engagement with the rails 7, the handle l5" is turned upwardly, and this will have the.,

effect of bringing the flat faces at the ends ofthe rod kM which are normally inv a horir Zontal plane, to a vertical' plane. Y lWhen these fla-t faces are thus disposed in a verti. cal plane, it is evident that the ends of the rodcan be readily pushed downwardly into thenarrow portions 9 ofthe slotsV untilthey seat themselves in the lower enlarged rounded portions 10 of said slots. The handle l5 is then turned downwardly and this will have the effect of turning the rod 14 so that the flat faces 1S at theends of said rod willbe in a horizontal plane int-ersecting the lower endsV of the narrowY porf tions 9 of the slots, with the result that the ends ofthe rod.` cannot be removed fromV engagement withl the slots unt-ilI the` handle isv with which they are engaged, and thenad-.

just these ends totwo other slots either locatedy farther inward or outward, in ac-v cordance with. whether the adjustment is to, be inwardly or outwardly; The ends of the,v

rod are then made to engage these other slots in themanner fully described with relation to the first referred toslots.

From the foregoing description it willv bef seen that the clothes retainer is very simple in construction, and is most easily and quickly adjusted both initially and at any time, when necessity requires a change of adjustment.

While the device has been described as particularly adapted for wardrobe trunks, yet I- do not wish to be understoodas limit-.. ing myself tothat particularstyle, inasmuch as the adaptation of: the retainer bar and allied parts to other forms of trunks, is con-. sidered to be within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claimy as my invention. is:

l. The combination with a pairfof spacedE rails havingV a plurality of spaced slots in.`

their upper edge portions, of aV bar therefor, sai-d, slots being larger below the upper edges of the rails, and: a rod turnably connected to said bar, each end of said turnable rodv being narrower in one direction than in the opposite direction, said rod endsv entering the slots of the rails when the rod isl turned;

said slots being larger below the upper edges of the rails, outstanding bearings secured to said bar, and a rod turnably mounted in the bearings and havin-g its outer end portions narrower in one direction than in the oppor site direction to permitsaidlends entering the slots when` the rod is turned in one position and beingflocked thereto when; tur-nedinanother direction.

3. Thecombina-ti'on witha pair of; spacedl slotted rails, of a bar therefor, an outstanding bearing secured to the bar, said bearing' provided with an elongated slot, and a rod;l turnable in said' bearing, andV provided with,-

a pin projecting into the slot of the bearing, each end` ofsaid tur-nable rod being narrower in one direction than in thev opposite direction Ito permit said ends entering the slots when the rod. isturnedin a certain-dr rection Vand being locked, toK4 the rails `when turned in another direction.

t'. The combination with a pair of spaced slotted rails, of a barA therefor, a rodv't-urn` ably connected tov-said bar, the saidfrodpro-4 vided between its ends withk a projecting? handle, and each end of said turnablefrocll beingnarrower in1 one directionthan inthe opposite direction to permit said ends-entering the slots when` the rod listurnedfin'- a certain direction and being locked toV the rails when turned in y another; direction'.`

5; llhecombination'with a pair-off' spaced slotted rails, of' a bar therefor, a rodturni ably connected to saidibar,` saidvrod provided intermediatey of its ends with a projectinghandle, and each end of-'saidi turnable; IFOd being narrower in. one direction than in the opposite direction, thenarrower portion of the bar being uppermost when thel handleis` turned from its normal position tov permit said ends entering the slots of the rails.-

6. The combinatonof al casing,- outstandingslotted rails secured tof opposite sides of said casing, said rails constructed to beengaged. at their slottedportions, a retainer bar, and` a rodturnably connectedA to said. retainer bar, andE each end ofzsaidf turnable rod constructed' to permit of theentrance ofV the ends of the rod into some of theslotsof the rails, whenthe rod is turned in one` direction, and to permit of the disengagement ofy said' ends from the slots when the rody is turned infthe opposite direction. Y Y

7 rThe combinationy of a casing, rails securedito opposite sides of.4 said-f casing, said rails provided at a plurality of points along turnably connected tothe retainenbar, eachl end of said turnable rod being narrower in one direction than in the opposite direction to permit said rod ends to enter said slots.

8. The combination of a casing, rails secured to opposite sides of the casing, and said rails provided upon their edges with a plurality of slots, the inner ends of said slots being wider than the outer ends thereof, and a rod, each end of said rod being narrower in one direction than in the opposite direction to permit said rod ends to enter said slots.

9. The combination of a casing, rails secured to opposite sides of the casing, said rails provided upon their edges with a plurality of slots, the inner ends of said slots being wider than the outer ends thereof, and a rod, each end of said rod being narrower in one direction than in the opposite direc-v tion, and said rod provided intermediate of its ends with a projecting handle, the wider portions of the ends of the rod being in a horizontal plane, when the handle is in itsy normal position and the narrow portions of said ends of the rod being 1n line with the site direction, and .said rod provided intermediate of its ends with a projecting handle, the wider portion of the ends of the rodf being in a horizontal plane, when the handle Y is in its normal position and the narrow p0rtion of said ends of the rod being in line with the narrow portions of the slots, when the handle is turned from its normal position. f

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE HENRY WHEARY. Witnesses:

ANNA M. NELSON, EMMA RAsMUssnN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

